AL Circle Analysis: Bauxite developments, alumina trade & primary aluminium market dynamics across Australia, Guinea, US & India
The aluminium industry is entering another phase of supply-chain repositioning. Across bauxite, alumina and primary aluminium, companies are investing in new resources, consolidating strategic assets and expanding processing capacity, while governments are increasingly treating domestic supply as a strategic priority. The latest developments from Australia, Guyana, Guinea, Indonesia, the US and India point to a market where resource security, processing location and control over supply chains are becoming as important as production growth. At the same time, new trading mechanisms and changing investment patterns are beginning to influence how aluminium and its raw materials reach the market. Bauxite supply expands, but securing the right tonnes is becoming harder In Western Australia, VBX...
China's 22.87 Mt extrusion market faces a structural shift as 317 GW solar growth counters weak construction demand
The global aluminium extrusion landscape is undergoing a structural transition driven by industrial decarbonisation, global electrification, and the rapid deployment of clean energy infrastructure. Historically anchored by civil engineering and residential real estate, demand for extruded aluminium profiles in China, the world’s dominant manufacturing hub, is decoupling from traditional property sectors. Persistent structural weakness in China’s domestic construction market has slowed the consumption of conventional architectural profiles such as window frames, door sections, and curtain walls. Conversely, advanced industrial applications, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) racking, battery energy storage systems (BESS), power grid modernisation, and electric vehicles (EVs), have...
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Novelis' closed-loop deals with automakers to improve aluminium recovery
Typically, 40% of an aluminium coil is left over after a car maker stamps out parts. By introducing a closed-loop system in partnership with car manufacturers, Novelis can capture this scrap aluminium and return it to its materials system. In the US, the company has recently started a closed-loop partnership with Ford for the manufacture of the Ford-150 truck, but a similar arrangement has already been in place in the UK with Jaguar Land Rover. As Derek Prichett, vice-president of global recycling at Novelis, explains: “Both involve sophisticated systems to segregate the various alloys involved, keep them free of contaminants, and maximise the value of the scrap material.” According to Novelis, the investment in its Oswego recycling facility follows growth in demand for aluminium...
Alba production surge by 2.4% in Q1 2015
Despite the downward-trend in aluminium LME prices, Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba) was able to increase its overall sales and throughput. For the first quarter of 2015, sales figures reached 228,307 metric tonnes (mt), an increase of 1,835 (mt), versus 226,472 mt in Q1 2014 while production jumped by 2.4% to 237,774 mt versus 232,298 mt for the same period in 2014. In addition, Alba closed the first quarter with its Value-Added Sales averaging 64% of total shipments versus 66% in 2014. Commenting on Alba’s sales and production for Q1 2015, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Murray said: “Despite challenging market conditions, we are pleased with the higher overall figures for production and sales, ahead of the company’s own forecast for the period, thanks to strong management...
Sincap signs MoU to acquire Orion Energy
Singapore-listed Sincap Group Limited, which trades alumina and thermal coal, and is also involved in property development, has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire Orion Energy Resources. Orion too is a Singapore-incorporated company and is engaged in mineral trading and logistics management, and also supplies coal to power plants run by a state-owned company in China. Orion has direct access to major traders and mine owners in Indonesia and thus is able to secure a stable supply of coal to fulfill the long term needs of the power plants owned by a state-owned enterprise in China, Sincap said in a regulatory filing. The transaction details have not been disclosed, and it may only be finalised after Sincap completes due diligence on Orion Sincap shares last closed at 6.9 cents.
Mulder Shipyard launches a round-bilged, all-aluminium motoryacht
Mulder Shipyard introduces a used concept: the Mulder 2800 Raised Pilot House – Full Beam. This 28 meter, round-bilged, all-aluminium motoryacht has the features, look and feel of a superyacht. She is easy to operate, suitable for both families and chartering, and possible to sail with a limited crew and low running costs. RPH stands for “Raised Pilot House”, which means that the wheelhouse is raised to a higher position on the vessel, giving the captain a better overview and allowing other valuable options regarding layout and usability in the interior. In this design “Full Beam” means that the saloon area has side decks, while the master suite forward on the main deck does take up the whole beam of the yacht. This makes for spectacular views of the ocean right out of the bedroom and a...
China’s aluminum semis exports fell 2.6% MoM in February
China exported 390,000 mt of aluminum semis in February, up 178.57% YoY, but down 2.6% MoM, customs data showed. The Chinese New Year fell in February this year. This should have undermined aluminum semi exports. SMM attributes the unexpected rise in export volumes to token exports of aluminum plate, sheet and strip – up 170,000 mt YoY and 18,000 mt MoM to 232,000 mt. Aluminum extrusion exports were 65,000 mt, up 44,000 mt YoY, but down 2,000 MoM. Aluminum foil exports were 69,000 mt, up 22,000 mt, but down 13,000 mt MoM. Exporters locked in a large number of orders when the SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio slipped before Chinese New Year. This should result in stable exports in March. The rising SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio, combined with falling aluminum premiums overseas, could slow...
China’s primary aluminum imports rose 26.66% MoM in February
China imported 6,607 mt of primary aluminum in February, plummeting 88.44% YoY, but up 26.66% MoM, customs data showed. The SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio rose to 7.4 from 6.7 in late 2014 as stockpiling by Chalco and other smelters allowed SHFE aluminum to stay firm. Besides, flooding of Chinese aluminum semis and Russian aluminum ingot, and expansions in Indian aluminum market, pushed down overseas aluminum premiums. Both factors offered incentive to increase primary aluminum imports. As long as the SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio stays high, China’s primary aluminum imports under processing trade will continue to grow.
UC RUSAL introduces Clean Soderberg at IrkAZ
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces the launch of the Clean Soderberg project at its Irkutsk aluminium smelter (IrkAZ). According to the project, the smelter’s Potlines 1, 3 and 4 will be converted to the Clean Soderberg technology (IrkAZ has four operational potlines, numbers 1, 3, 4 and 5. Potline 5 was commissioned in 2009 and had initially been designed to run on the pre-bake technology, not Soderberg). The general goal of the project, which is scheduled to run until 2020, is to cut air emissions by 30% and improve of the overall environmental performance of the smelter. The current stage of the project involves development of basic design documents, estimation of efficiency of the proposed dry gas scrubbers, and consideration of various technical and engineering...
China’s alumina imports fell 29.07% YoY in February
China’s alumina imports tumbled 29.07% YoY to 330,000 mt in February. YTD imports through February totaled 710,000 mt, down 35%, customs data showed. Supply of domestic alumina grew, and its prices were lower than imported alumina, so some aluminum smelters preferred domestic alumina. Domestic alumina will remain at a price advantage over imported goods since growing alumina inventories will prevent prices from rising. As such, China’s appetite for imported alumina will weaken further. Rusal and Alcoa announced decisions to cut aluminum production this year, boding ill for overseas alumina prices.
French company Le Bélier to invest in aluminium manufacturing unit in Hungary
Le Bélier is a French group specializing in manufacturing molded aluminium safety components for cars and will be making an investment of 8 billion forints (EUR 26.7) in Ajka, Western Hungary, as recently announced by the foreign minister. The first phase of the project will be supported by the Hungarian government, contributing 507 million forints from the European Union Funding. Péter Szijjártó, the minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said there are even talks about the government funding the second phase of the project as well. After development, this project will create 100 jobs, boosting the annual export revenue of the Le Bélier Hungarian unit to 40 billion forints. In 2013, the unit’s export revenue came to 29 billion forints according to public records. There are 1,500 people...
Malaysian companies record RM75m sales at Indonesia’s auto exhibition
Malaysian companies generated sales worth RM75.20 million from their participation at the recent Indonesia International Auto Parts, Accesories and Equip Exhibition 2015 (INAPA). Among the products of interest were automotive suspension system, anti-vibration system, lubricants, engine mountings, rubber bushings, compressors, aluminium die casting products and sealants. “INAPA served as a good market assessment platform for Malaysian companies in promoting their auto parts and components to Indonesia,” Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) quoted the companies as saying. It also enabled them to understand the local market demand and buying behaviours, the national trade promotion agency, which organised the participation of 11 Malaysian companies to INAPA said in a...
Nalco owes highest mining dues to the government: CAG report
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has accused the Odisha state government of being too lax in their collection of revenue using modes like VAT, Entry Tax, Excise Duty and Mining Receipts causing an estimated loss of INR 4,713.63 crore for FY 2013-14. The mining dues alone are said to total INR 110.74 crore, payable by companies dealing with mining of iron ore, coal, chromite and bauxite. National Aluminium Company (Nalco) is the company that owes the highest dues estimated at INR 46.52 crores. According to provisions in mining rules, a company is supposed to pay royalty based on highest alumina content of the excavated mineral whereas Nalco paid royalty at the rate of average alumina content, as per the 2012-13 fiscal report from CAG. "After audit reported the matter (in July...
NALCO inks MoU with ministry for higher production & financial targets
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India regarding financial and non-financial targets for the FY 2015-16. The MoU was signed between Dr. Anup K Pujari, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Shri Ansuman Das, CMD, NALCO, in the presence of Shri R. Sridharan, IAS, Additional Secretary and other senior officials of Ministry & NALCO in New Delhi on 31st March 2015. As per the MoU, the net operating sales turnover target has been fixed at INR.8,488 crore. As regards physical performance, NALCO has set an annual production target of 68.25 lakh tonnes of bauxite, 21.80 lakh tonnes of alumina, 3.80 lakh tonnes of aluminium and net power generation of 6009 million units. Regarding new initiatives, the proposed major milestones would...
Deutsche Bank cuts valuation of BHP spin-off
Deutsche Bank has cut the valuation of BHP Billiton’s spin-off company South32 by $US2 billion. Deutsche mining analyst Paul Young says when South32 lists on the ASX it will be valued at $US11.2 billion instead of the expected $US13 billion. This amounts to $2 a share, well below investor expectations of $3 a share, SMH reported. South32 will be made up of BHP’s Illawarra and South African coal mines as well as a number of aluminium, manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc operations. Young said after reviewing the company’s assets, it had reduced the value of them by $US3.5bn to $US13.8bn. The downgrades come as the bank predicts weaker prices for manganese operations, high costs for aluminium assets, and high capex at the South African coal assets. But Young said the company was in the...
Rexam jumps on 'fantastic' opportunity for beverage cans in India
The beverage can remains a ‘novel’ form of packaging in India, according to manufacturer Rexam. But having seen a 72% increase in sales volume in 2014, the company predicts the packaging will become much more popular. The beverage can currently represents just 1% of the Indian beverage packaging market. But with GDP in the country rising, Rexam wants to grab a ‘fantastic’ opportunity for cans. Earlier this year, it announced plans for two new manufacturing plants in the country. “India is a very attractive market, with significant growth opportunities alongside major global and regional customers,” Craig Jones, AMEA sector director for Rexam, told BeverageDaily. “The country has a population of 1.3bn (growing at 2% per annum), and 60% of that population are below the age of 30. We expect...
Videosys uses aluminium alloys to build wireless systems for bikes
Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance, the RF specialist company, has announced that its SOLO7 HD Nano transmitter, the world’s smallest HD transmitter, has been deployed as part of Broadcast RF’s new VeloVue HD system. Designed by Broadcast RF and built by Videosys, the VeloVue HD was first commissioned by The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) on behalf of Host Broadcast Services (HBS) to enhance multi-platform coverage of the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris. Videosys Managing Director, Colin Tomlin said, “For components we used our proprietary miniature camera coupled with Cobham’s SOLO7 HD Nano transmitter and a battery pack, all of which were wirelessly linked to an external Cobham receiver. We...
Repak advises Irish revelers to recycle their Easter packaging wastes
Irish recycling body urges the public to recycle the waste from the Easter celebrations, including the countless chocolate wrappers which are primarily made of aluminium. Irish people are known for going overboard in the celebrations with a alcohol, meat and chocolate in this holiday season. It is reported that they drink enough beer to fill 53 Olympic sized swimming pools on Good Friday alone. They are also likely to consume approximately 17.5 million Easter eggs, that is 2,100 tons of chocolate spending around €36.6 million. The Republic of Ireland is currently the second ranked in Europe for package recycling but Séamus Clancy, the chief executive of Repak feels it is easy to fall off the wagon during this time of excess. Last year alone, there are reports that over 19,336 tons of...
Nalco achieves record gross turnover
National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) has achieved its highest ever gross turnover of INR 7774 crore (provisional) in 2014-15 against INR 7024 crore in 2013-14 and previous best of INR 7247 crore in 2012-13. Export earning has been INR 3307 crore in 2014-15 against INR 3719 crore earned last year. The PSU has generated 181 MU of wind energy during the year by operation of a 50.4 MW wind power plant at Gandikota, Andhra Pradesh and another 47.6 MW plant at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. During the year, the company commissioned 260 KWp Rooftop Solar Power System at Corporate Office and Township, Bhubaneswar. 167 kilo unit solar energy has been generated during the year. (1 US Dollar ($) = 62 INR)
Mubadala reports record profit for full year 2014
Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company, today announced its full year audited financial and operational results for 2014. Mubadala Group CEO and Managing Director, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, said: “Mubadala’s 2014 financial results reflect a resilient operating performance with one billion dirhams of profit, revenues increasing across all four of our global platforms and operating income more than doubling compared to last year. Our delivery of major priorities - including Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Emirates Global Aluminium, and Al Maryah Island, the home of Abu Dhabi Global Market - furthers the emirate’s economic vision of greater diversification and opportunity.” One of the major Business highlights for the group in 2014 was...
